Two wearing watermelons on their heads suspected of stealing from convenience store

LOUISA, Va. (WRIC) — A suspect has been arrested after police sought the public’s help in identifying two people suspected of stealing from a Virginia convenience store while wearing watermelons on their heads.

The Louisa Police Department said two people arrived at the store in a lifted 2006 black Toyota Tacoma on May 5. They wore hollowed-out watermelons with holes cut out for the eyes into the store.

Justin M. Rogers, who was 20 at the time of the crime, has been charged with wearing a mask in public while committing larceny, underage possession of alcohol, and petit larceny of alcohol.

Louisa police are still trying to identify the second suspect.

Customer Barry Welch said he was kind of blown away when he saw the photos.

“I definitely give them some points for ingenuity. In a time like this, you could’ve worn any kind of mask, but to come up with a watermelon …,” Welch said. “But it wasn’t super shocking being out here in Louisa. We’ve always had some crazy new stories going around.”

Candice Wendt, another customer, said: “I think it’s ridiculous. Innovative but ridiculous. The amount of work that you have to do to actually hollow out a watermelon to stick it on your head, I think, is kind of crazy. Why would they do that? It’s so stupid.”